Nunavut's only group home for youths closes its doors as gov't switches contractors
CBC
Nunavut's Department of Family Services has ended its contract with a company that operated the Illagiitugut group home in Iqaluit, and says the youth in the group home are being placed elsewhere.
The group home, which housed up to eight girls and gender-diverse youths between the ages of 12 and 19, was the only group home for youths in the territory.
In an email, the Department of Family Services said the girls in the group home are still being cared for elsewhere in Iqaluit and the department is working with them "to find more permanent placements."
It said it has already given a contract to someone else for the program, but declined to give any details or interviews due to privacy reasons.
"We can confirm that the department is committed to continuously evaluating programming to ensure that children and youth in care receive the best possible care," the department stated.
"This means that any current clients are receiving the most appropriate services according to the most recent evaluations."
Shift, a Halifax-based company that operates other youth and adult care homes in the North, ran Illagiitugut for seven years before the territorial government ended the contract earlier in February.
Andrew Middleton, the CEO of Shift, confirmed in an email that the department closed the home.
"We were not given a clear explanation for the closure, which occurred mid-way through our third contract extension, other than to say they were re-evaluating their needs," he wrote.
"We were not informed that the home was continuing in operation but I trust that Family Services has a thoughtful plan in place for the centre."
Abby McAllister, who worked as a supervisor at Illagiitugut since June 2022, said the territorial government shut it down with no warning on Feb. 2, with all the youths removed from the centre by Feb. 6.
She said when it closed, two of the youths who were in the home returned to their families, while five others were placed with a foster family.
"It's very alarming. I do know that the kids did consider the group home [to be] their home," she said.
"It's very upsetting that their one place they felt safe was taken from them."
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